Applications
BSNL LiVe to provide specialised CWG content; slashes Hello TV rates
MUMBAI: BSNL LiVe, the WAP portal of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), has announced specialised CWG content and discounted festive offers for its consumers on the occasion of Commonwealth Games, Durga Puja and Navratri.
Text-based news, CWG trivia, medal tally and schedule of the matches is available free of cost. Wallpapers of the CWG venues and videos of the winning moments during the games would be available at Rs 30 and Rs 50 respectively.
On an individual item basis, the same content will be available for Rs 2 (for wallpaper) and Rs 5 (for videos). Discounted Commonwealth Games content is being provided to the customers through the course of the games.
The 30-channel pack of Hello TV is being provided at Rs 99 instead of the regular Rs 149 for a 40-day period starting from 1 October.
During the Durga Puja festivities, devotional songs, puja and aarti videos will be available at an economical price of Rs 29. From October 8-17, to celebrate Navratri special audio & video content (2 Nos. per day) will be available at Rs 49.
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
